If you want to put the switch in the house don't bother running wire. They have remote switches that will do the job for you. Running that much wire can get pricey.
Thanks Doc - Sounds like a remote control you're talking about. My barn will be about 75' from the house, so it won't be a real long run for what I'm doing. My plan was to put timers in the barn and have indoor and outdoor lights come on in the morning.
I just received info on Nelson waterers. Looks slick, but is it too slick? A larger barn owner I know here believes that buckets are more cost effective because it allows her to monitor water intake. I guess you have to add something optional to get that from the Nelson items. I'm also going to look into insulated waterers.
Looks like this is the barn we're putting up. I'll know for sure in about another week - but I'm convinced this guy builds a good product, and is reasonable with the price. Check it out and let me know what you think. I hope to have it up and to get our girls over here by December.
I'm still thinking of adding a covered area off the side - about 10' out and down the length of the side - it would make a nice area to groom the horses. Overall the barn is only 24' x 34', but it will give us 3 12' x 12' stalls and a tack room. The roof pitch is high enough to get a good amount of hay up there.
I heard there was an outfit up in Windsor Locks (by the airport) putting up pole barns (like Morton, but less expensive I would think). You might want to try them for a quote if this place is to expensive. I can ask my brother were the place is if you're interested. I've been meaning to check them out (I guess they have a demo building on site), but I haven't had the chance. I don't know if they do stalls or not, but those aren't too bad to do yourself (especially if you save a lot of money in the end).
I did find a contractor out of Woodstock that does horse barns - they're a local affiliate of Wick Buildings called "Conceptual Construction". My problem around here is that so many folks are too busy with work, and the pricing reflects that. The price I got on the barn listed above is $26,000 - that includes full stalls, the site work & foundation, and all roofing. It's outfitted with a decent amount of windows, bars for the stalls and stall windows, and several other smaller items that add up when you're planning a barn. The worst price I got around here was from an outfit in Vernon CT that wanted $30,000 for roughly the same size barn, but nothing inside - no stalls - notta. I couldn't believe it, then as we talked he dropped in that the price didn't include site work or the foundation... add another $3000 to $7000 he said. I was dumbstruck by his approach. I think it's a symptom of having too much work.
If you're handy at all that size of a barn would take about three days to put up if you did it like a pole barn. Site work is just getting a level pad. I would seriously look into doing it yourself. Materials here for that barn would be around $7000 for everything. With the extra money you could buy one of the Hidalgo horses. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
Funny you mention Hidalgo - we just watched that with my daughter tonight. My Wife and I thought it would be a good kids movie (10 yrs) - I must be desensitized to violence... We won't be watching anything of that ilk with her again anytime soon. She is so dramatic I'm sure she's going to grow up to be a soap opera star [img]/forums/images/icons/smirk.gif[/img] .
Handy - I'm fairly Handy, and I think I could do a lot of it myself. It's time Doc... I am starting a new job soon and I just don't have time for everything. I plan to stick to the clearing, and soon adding the fencing for myself. I drive an hour each way to work and back - man the days are getting short... I am finding it hard to even get the lawn cut after work.
I know you're right though - My Wife and I have considered doing it ourselves. If we waited until next spring I may end up doing it, but if I want it up this fall then I'll be paying someone to do it. I haven't mentioned this before, but the barn at my inlaws is a dump... I have to get the girls out of there as soon as possible. I won't go into great detail, It's just no way for an animal of mine to live. I've taken over most of their care, and we all go over on the weekend to give them all a good grooming. They look so much healthier since we've assumed their care.
Hi Steve,
I am a bit late here but based on my experience here are some of my thoughts. Mind you I think you have had very good advice from the others….
Barn: I strongly recommend the metal laminated walls that you can get from MD, Barnmaster, etc. These holds up very well and are easy to disinfect as well as being almost indestructible. You can buy these separately and install them in your structure if that is what you prefer. If looks are not a problem, then I like their barns and I think you can get a nice 4 stall with over hang installed for $25k. Feed in the loft can be an easy solution if the barn is set up for it and if you can get a fair amount in at once. If you do this, have them cut the opening so you can get a squeeze in. However, I agree with Steve….due to dust, mold and fire concerns we try to keep no more than 1-2 bales in the barn at one time so we store most of it in another building along with shavings etc. I have never found a way to store feed without attracting rodents and the thought of their dropping filtering down into the stalls or aisle bothers me (I HATE them!). Think about stall doors that slide open rather than those that swing. If a horse gets fractious, it’s nice to have it secured on 4 corners rather than the 1 or maybe 2 bolts you have on a swinging door. It also takes up less aisle way space when opened. If you can, set it up so the horses can see each other through the front of the stalls as well as the side. Being herd animals it helps reduce their stress if they can see each other. If you can get bars on the walls that run vertically take that option. Separate feed doors into the stall are a nice option, along with more blanket racks than you think you will need. If you think your horses are going to be in stalls very much, as ours are, you might think about a 12x16 or 12x24. For us, when it’s raining it would be a nice thing to have. I agree with Richard that a nice large, rodent proof tack room is really nice. If you have had horses long, I don’t need to tell you that its easy to lose a ton of money to rats……I HATE them! If you have a lot of expensive tack you might want the ability to lock it as well.
Waterers: If you go with automatic waterers, Nelson is the best but I feel pretty strongly that you are better off with buckets so you can monitor their intake. Perhaps there is some sort of meter you can get with the others but I am not sure. In case a horse throws themselves down, a bucket will move and not hurt a horse. If you choose buckets make sure you can get to a hose without having to go outside in the rain.
Flooring: For me, there are too many conflicting studies on concrete or no concrete. We went without and have had no problems for years including ammonia. At a recent UC Davis(one of the best equine vet schools in the nation) visit I was speaking with one of the vets and his opinion was it is 6 of one half dozen of the other. He felt that with mats over gravel/sand there is a certain amount of decomposition that takes place and eliminates some of the problems. I agree with Richard that you should bed them pretty deep and that good dried shavings are the best.
Ventilation: I don’t think you can get enough of it as long as there is a wind break and they are out of the rain. Just add more blankets/hoods. I am not sure if you use fans in the summer but if you do, you might consider having the plugs set up on a timer so the fans go on automatically. If you are going with a more traditional barn then with a loft then make sure you get a lot of roof vents. This is one of the reasons I like the MD/Barnmaster barns. You can get them with large openings to allow the air to flow.
Lighting: We have fluorescent lighting in the aisle for general light and, because we have performance horses with a show season that runs from March through Nov, we also have a stall light with at least a 200watt bulb. This helps keep their coats short. If you do run lights consider putting them on a timer as well so you get the min amount of bright light.
Fly control: If flies or mosquitoes are a problem then I strongly recommend an automated fly system like Shoofly. Just make sure you have a place to store the system and set it up so there is good coverage in the stalls and aisle. If you choose to do this, take into account the impact of any fans you may run. You might put two nozzles in each stall.
Aisle: We run DG because we did not put concrete in the stalls and wanted good footing when they are in the cross ties. Personally I am not a fan of concrete but if you do put it down consider putting matts on the floor or those rubber pavers.
Wash Rack: gsganzer has describes one way to do it and I know a lot of people like it. I just prefer it to be outside of the barn if you have the roof extended. If you show, consider one of those portable propane ones for both the barn and showing. Having it outside gives us a chance to have a horse in the wash rack and one in the cross ties.
Fiberglass roof panels: They don’t last as long but I sure like the way they let natural light in. Not a big deal but I like it. Also, it amazes me how many people forget to have rain gutters put on. It helps keep water from cascading on to the horses as well as you and keeps erosion down. We don’t have any snow to speak of so your needs may be different. If you choose a metal roof try to get it insulated to keep it a bit cooler in the summer, a bit warmer in the winter and mostly keep the condensation down in the winter.
Turn outs: if you can give each horse a turn out that would be ideal. This gives them a chance to get out and watch things. If you choose to do this you might think about having split doors so the horse can hang its head out even if its not allowed outside. This is where its important to know how the wind blows in your area and have rain gutters.
Orientation: Generally you have a house face south so you might consider how to orient your barn to take advantage of the sun and local weather patterns.
Washing machine: One thing we did not do was set up a washing machine. When we put in a new barn I am going to have one. Great for washing blankets, sheets, wraps etc without using the home machine and trying to sneak into the Laundromat.
Halter hooks: perhaps I am paranoid but we always try to keep a halter and lead rope right by each door that we know will fit the horse. If there is a need to get the horses out quick, then I don’t want to search around trying to find something.
Feed storage: if you are going to feed anything other than bale feed then plan on how you are going to store it. We like cubes and have large plastic drums to keep the rodents out. I HATE rats!
Saddle pad storage: not sure if you ride a lot or bring in other horses but if you get bad cases of fungus running around, its important to store the pads in a way that they can dry. Sunlight is the best thing for getting rid of crud. You might buy or make a good rack.
Bridles: build something that will allow you to put one bridle on a holder that is round at the top. This allows the bridles and reins to hang naturally and not get a kink in them as they would if you just had a nail or peg.
White board: You can use this or one of those erasable calendars. Its good to have one so you know when the next shoeing appt is, what wormer you gave last time so you can rotate them and leave notes as to who has been worked, needs to be worked or needs to be laid up. My wife likes it because its one more way she can tell me what to do…..:^)
Those are some of my thoughts based on what works for us. The others have also given good advice based on what works for them in their area. Best of luck and post pictures of what you build and good for you for being so proactive in your horses well being.
Wow - What a wealth of practical answers to my questions. I'll need to re-read and post a few follow-up questions if you don't mind.
I'm not in the rush I was when I started this thread - unfortunately my barn will encroach on wetland buffer by about 5 lousy feet. So that means I have another couple of months waiting until I can get this started.
Thanks for all the great information. And I hate rats too! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
No problem. That's what CBN and TBN are all about....people helping each other out. Even when our opinions differ [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
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